Everton at All-Star Game

*Insider loyalists knew last week that this was in the works, and now it is official: English side Everton will face the MLS select squad at the All-Star Game at Rio Tinto Stadium outside Salt Lake City on July 29 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 and Telefutura). Today's announcement ended weeks of talks that began with Valencia and moved to Villarreal (Atletico Madrid was also mentioned as a possible candidate) before ending with New Jersey's own Tim Howard and Everton, which is currently sixth in the 20-team Premier League and set to appear in the FA Cup final against Chelsea on May 30 at Wembley.

That was the worst Prem team they could have picked, possibly other than Hull. Their only redeeming qualities are an American keeper and a possibly insane Belgian with an afro. They play some of the most boring football in the Prem.

They couldn't have gotten Randy Lerner and Villa? An American owner, two American keepers and exciting players (Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Milner, Petrov).

Let's not make this game into something it's not-competitive, or interesting. I remember the last one at RFK, where me and several hundred of my closest friends were burnt to a crisp in hundred plus degree heat watching an E v. W charade.

Hopefully the players union will drop all the bonuses and the like associated with the all star game in the next CBA and just have a league-wide Best XI and maybe a second team. Thereby discouraging meaningless friendlies and getting the season over a little quicker. Otherwise, MLS will try to expand their AS week festivities like the other sports, having rookie games, skills competitions and the like. The last thing DC needs this year is LEmilio or one of our other contributors getting dinged up by that clumsy oaf Fellani.

If you're not going to get one of the Big 12 or however many there are (Chelsea, Liverpool, ManU, Arsenal, Barca, Real, AC, Inter, Juventus, and Bayern are the onse that come to mind) or maybe a Mexican team, then i dont see the point in getting any old team. Not that Everton is a nobody, but still. What about a Mexican league all stars vs. MLS all stars? Nobody watches the ProBowl either but they still have it so I wouldnt say get rid of it, but there does need to be some sort of format change.

A very weak choice considering much higher profile foreign teams will be visiting the US during the summer. The All-Star game has always been really stupid anyway for soccer. Just MLS aping Major League baseball and NBA for ill-advised marketing purposes. Soccer already features plenty of international competition both through club tournaments and national team games - only the most ignorant fans are unaware of that.

Just name the best players in the league to a post-season Best XI and give them a bonus and a shiny trophy or something. I hope DC United can again avoid the honor of having players selected.

I don't mind the format. It may be an unpopular opinion here, but I kinda like seeing all of MLS's best play on the same team (if you could call it a team). It's like the Tom and Jerry episodes when the cat and mouse are friends and work together. I also like that we play good foreign clubs and our record against them is encouraging too.

Everton is not much of a draw, however, despite their respectable standing in one of the best leagues in the world.

Everton is a boring side with few stars. I would rather they scrap the versus someone exhibition, or even have them face up against a 2nd or 3rd tier national team. MLS All Stars take on the Danes or something.

While Everton is nothing to scoff at, it is kind of disappointing only in that Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Chelsea, Club America and others will all be in the U.S. at some point this summer. For their so-called partnership you'd think Real Madrid would have been playing in the All-Star Game instead of a random friendly against D.C. United.

Anyway, what's with the negativity about this? Some people are acting like this is being promoted as the World Cup.

It is what it is. What use is there to berate this game? There's literally very little negative about pitting the top MLS players against a top English team in an exhibition.

You realize they have all-star teams do various charity friendlies and tribute matches in Europe all the time, right?

The problem with this all-star format is...
1. they are going to run out of quality teams to play.

2. when the teams come over they play most of their reserves, and they are in horrid form. If the all-star game was at the end of the season, then THAT would be worth watching. But watching an ou-of-sync team lose possession and to hear the commentators praise the MLS for the dispossesing burns my ears.

Everton doesn't offend my sensibilities. I would have preferred any of the Spanish teams, though. As long as it's not just a Mexican club (MLS teams already face them in actual competition on a yearly basis, so the idea of needing an all-star team to beat one would be a brutal, public example of MLS's inferiority complex).

I don't know if any DC players will be involved, though. The first leg of our CCL qualifier is already slated for sometime between our 7/25 game at San Jose and our 8/1 match at Houston. That's already a brutal stretch (especially if our first leg is also away), so I would imagine Payne wouldn't be letting any of our players go to Salt Lake to tire themselves out further. If no one from DC is playing, they can go play whoever they want.

Good grief. The All Star game is meant to be a celebration of the game and a recognition of coaches and players for their play during the year. That's all it is nothing more nothing less.

I personally like the All Star game format because it brings out the best in MLS's top players. I think it also serves as an excellent opportunity for European teams to recognize the quality of play in MLS.

Each team that has come over has been pretty impressed with MLS, be it the players, the level of play, the stadiums and the overal organization and facilities of the League.

For those of you that hold your nose and have never seen any of these games you should. They have been highly entertaining and actually quite competative because professional reputations are being laid out on the field.

These game are also a great stage for up and coming Americans to show top European teams that there is some talent on this side of the pond and that they should pay attention.

DCU-Real Madrid in the late stages of talks. Final decision, one way or the other, is possible next week. (Real doesn't want distractions before this weekend's Barcelona game.) Real also might play in Toronto on the trip.

As for the All-Star Game, I usually watch it, but wouldn't be too fussed if it disappeared. Besides, how much do you want to bet the MLS will find a way for Beckham to play in it even though he won't have played here for half the season?

Everton is not a bad choice. Very good EPL team, US connections, etc. They only have to fill 20,000 seats anyway....